Tai Shan is leaving Washington

Tai Shan, the panda at the National Zoo in Washington DC is being returned to China. He was born here but his parents were Chinese so that country now wants him back as was previously agreed. The panda-cam has had thousands of hits. He leaves February 4/10 . The National Zoo is having a "farewell party" for him Jan 30th. The staff traveling with him will stay in China for a week while he transitions to living in his new home and life as part of the panda conservation and breeding program. Farewell Tai Shan!

January 2010

I've been ignoring my blogging just busy with everyday life. So many people are stepping up to give financial aid to Haiti which is great to see but it's also upsetting to read so many racial comments online. The hatred some of these people spew is honestly scary. With the internet being so accessible these days one cannot tell what country comments are coming from so who knows how much of it is coming from here in the U.S. -v- overseas.

Haiti

What a terrible tragedy to befall such an impoverished country!

What to do in your spare time

It's quite amazing the games people think up to play. Between "those" people and the ones who come up with the ideas for Youtube ......

Anyway here is something to try in your spare time to test your reaction time:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/sheep/reaction_version5.swf

A friend of mine took this picture from Burnaby Mountain, which is not not really a mountain in the true sense (the elevation is 1,214 ft) but that is the name. The shot is looking toward Indian Arm, a salt water fjord which extends north from Burrard Inlet. It is really a beautiful area. The ashes of both my parents were scattered in Indian Arm so this photo has special meaning to me.

How far is Vancouver BC?

The Olympics will start next month in Vancouver BC. I am originally from Burnaby, a suburb of Vancouver. It's a beautiful area. Brings back memories of the times when I would be going back to visit my parents for "vacation", which in Canadianese would be "holidays". And how many times did I hear - "Why are you flying, we were in Canada last weekend and drove there in 8 hours". To which I would patiently explain it is on the west coast, approximately 2,500 miles from New Jersey, just up from Seattle. That inevitably brought a blank stare and I would quickly change that to Los Angeles, by the Pacific Ocean, you know Disneyland? - generally not bothering to add that LA is around 1280 miles from Vancouver but at least it explained the flying. Hopefully the geography lessons have improved since those days and no one in this area thinks they can "drive up" to see any of the Olympic Games.

Xmas is a Busy Time

I can't believe it is New Year's Day 2010! The Xmas season went by so quickly. On Dec 23/09 my friend and I went into New York to have lunch at the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station - at the actual bar there. We saw a woman being walked out by New York's finest. She had obviously had alot to drink as she almost fell over when she put on her backpack. She had two drinks at the bar there but who knows where she was prior. She was smiling and the police were very kind to her. After lunch we walked over to Rockefeller Center to see the tree and the skaters. It wasn't terribly crowded when we were there (mid-afternoon). Then hopped onto the subway to the PATH to NJ Transit and home. So much easier taking public transportation -v- driving in and trying to find parking.